Photomorphogenesis in Plants

It is perhaps not surprising that plants have evolved a mechanism to sense the light environment about them and to modify growth for optimal use of the available `life-giving' light. Green plants, and ultimately all forms of life, depend on the energy of sunlight fixed during photosynthesis . Unlike animals that use behaviour to find food, sedentary plants use physiology to optimize their growth and development for light absorption. By appreciating the quality, quantity, direction and duration of light, plants can control such complex processes as germination, growth and flowering . To perceive the light environment several receptor pigments have evolved, including the red/far-red reversible phytochrome and the b lue/UV-absorbing photoreceptors (Part 1). The quantification of light (Part 2) and importance of instrumentation for photomorphogenesis research are introduced in Part 3. Isolation and characterization of phytochrome is a classic example of how photobiological techniques can predict the nature of an unknown photoreceptor. Current knowledge of the phytochrome photoreceptor family is given in Part 4 and that of blue/UV receptors in Part 5. Part 6 deals with the coaction of photoreceptors. The light environment and its perception is addressed in Part 7. Molecular and genetic approaches and the photoregulation of gene expression compose Part 8. Part 9 contains further selected topics: photomodulation of growth phototropism, photobiology of stomatal movements, photomovement, photocontrol of flavonoid biosynthesis, photobiology of fungi and photobiology of ferns. The 28 chapters written by leading experts from Europe, Israel, Japan and the USA, provide an advanced treatise on the exciting and rapidly developing field of plant photomorphogenesis . Front Matter....Pages I-XXXIV Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-14 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Quantification of light....Pages 17-25 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Instrumentation in photomorphogenesis research....Pages 29-47 Front Matter....Pages 49-49 The phytochrome chromophore....Pages 51-69 Phytochrome genes and their expression....Pages 71-104 Assembly and properties of holophytochrome....Pages 105-140 Phytochrome degradation....Pages 141-162 Distribution and localization of phytochrome within the plant....Pages 163-185 Signal transduction in phytochrome responses....Pages 187-209 The physiology of phytochrome action....Pages 211-269 The use of transgenic plants to examine phytochrome structure/function....Pages 271-297 Front Matter....Pages 299-299 Diversity of photoreceptors....Pages 301-325 Properties and transduction chains of the UV and blue light photoreceptors....Pages 327-350 Front Matter....Pages 351-351 Coaction between pigment systems....Pages 353-373 Front Matter....Pages 375-375 Sensing the light environment: the functions of the phytochrome family....Pages 377-416 Light direction and polarization....Pages 417-445 The duration of light and photoperiodic responses....Pages 447-490 Light within the plant....Pages 491-535 Modelling the light environment....Pages 537-555 Front Matter....Pages 557-557 The molecular biology of photoregulated genes....Pages 559-599 Front Matter....Pages 557-557 Photomorphogenic mutants of higher plants....Pages 601-628 Front Matter....Pages 629-629 Photomodulation of growth....Pages 631-658 Phototropism....Pages 659-681 The photobiology of stomatal movements....Pages 683-706 Photomovement....Pages 707-732 Photocontrol of flavonoid biosynthesis....Pages 733-751 Photomorphogenesis in fungi....Pages 753-782 Photobiology of ferns....Pages 783-802 Back Matter....Pages 803-828 It is perhaps not surprising that plants have evolved a mechanism to sense the light environment about them and to modify growth for optimal use of the available `life-giving' light. Green plants, and ultimately all forms of life, depend on the energy of sunlight fixed during . Unlike animals that use behaviour to find food, sedentary plants use physiology to optimize their growth and development for light absorption. By appreciating the __quantity, direction__ __duration____germination, growth____flowering____phytochrome____b__ (Part 1). The quantification of light (Part 2) and importance of instrumentation for photomorphogenesis research are introduced in Part 3. Isolation and characterization of phytochrome is a classic example of how photobiological techniques can predict the nature of an unknown photoreceptor. Current knowledge of the phytochrome photoreceptor family is given in Part 4 and that of blue/UV receptors in Part 5. Part 6 deals with the coaction of photoreceptors. The light environment and its perception is addressed in Part 7. Molecular and genetic approaches and the photoregulation of gene expression compose Part 8. Part 9 contains further selected topics: photomodulation of growth phototropism, photobiology of stomatal movements, photomovement, photocontrol of flavonoid biosynthesis, photobiology of fungi and photobiology of ferns. The 28 chapters written by leading experts from Europe, Israel, Japan and the USA, provide an advanced treatise on the exciting and rapidly developing field of . I ended the introduction to the first edition of this book by saying that plant photomorphogenesis is an active research field, and we need not fear to reach the end in our lifetime.